7-mile section of Mountain View Corridor to open Oct. 13

SOUTH JORDAN — A new section of Mountain View Corridor is set to open next week, and people will have a chance to bike the road before they drive on it.

The Utah Department of Transportation will open an additional seven miles on Oct. 13 to make a total of nine miles of new roadway, bike lanes and trails from Porter Rockwell Boulevard at 16000 South to Old Bingham Highway. The road already is open from 14400 South to 12600 South. The remainder of the corridor will open later in 2012.

There will be a community celebration to mark the opening with festivities beginning at the University of Utah South Jordan Health Center, 5126 W. Daybreak Parkway.

At 10 a.m., there will be a ribbon-cutting, followed by a 20- or five-mile bike ride on the nine miles of the corridor that are open, and a kids costume bike parade. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be food and activities in the parking lot of the health center, and at 3 p.m., the road opens to traffic.

All participants must wear a bike helmet, and event sponsors will have extra helmets available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Bicyclists must follow the rules of the road as they will cross live traffic at cross streets with assistance from local police. Turn-around points will keep riders on the inside shoulder. For four miles of the 20-mile course, the corridor is open to traffic and riders will use the bike lane or adjacent multi-use trail.